Creating Contageous Commitment

Dr. Andrea Shapiro’s book is a guide to organizational change management. What separates this book from other literature is that it gives a practical approach for action. There are many times that we stumble upon change manuals that require a decoder ring to understand. Shapiro takes a successful, existing change process in the Tipping Point and utilizes it in her implementation. She provides a model of change that leaders can apply to move from being disengaged to devoted employees.

The book is broken down into six chapters, but for major sections, in my opinion. The last two chapters are more for explaining her Tipping Point Simulation. Although an effective assessment tool, the first four chapters are where the most valuable information lies.

Chapter One: Alive with Change

The first chapter talks about drivers of change. Charles Darwin is quoted saying, “It’s not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” (Page 9) Change is about people. This means that an organization can get the newest computer models, the fastest processors, and the most up-to-date technology, but without the employees, they’re worthless. Organizations change when the people in them change (pg 11). You also can’t achieve organizational effectiveness without people.

Organizational effectiveness includes the ability to solve problems, learn from experience, achieve goals, and take advantage of external change (pg 11). How can you achieve success in these categories without people? Everything about a company or an organization is about people. People make change happen.

Shapiro briefly discusses the importance of models in the first chapter. Models of change are very necessary in facilitating the change process. A model is a way to simplify and identify the most important aspects of any phenomenon (pg 15). It is an aid to understanding by highlighting the important and relevant areas needing attention and energy. It is also an aid to communication by providing a common language that assists the planning and decision making process (pg 17).

The author’s model is the Tipping Point Simulation™. (Let’s face it; everyone who develops a new change effort needs some type of model in order to sell a product or service!) “All organizations and changes are different, and there is no recipe for change (pg 20).” The Tipping Point Simulation is a nationally successful half-day leadership development simulation showing managers how to set up changes that last (www.strategicdevelopment.com).

Basically what the simulation involves are small teams of participants competing on a case study to see who can make strategic decisions to create a lasting change - on time and on budget. The Tipping Point Simulation offers a way to experiment the various dynamics of change in a safe, low-risk environment. It fosters dialogues between team members that combines and refines their knowledge. This dialogue addresses issues that have might otherwise fallen through the cracks (pg 21).

Chapter Two: Lessons from Public Health

What does public health have to do with change? Epidemiologists study the spread of infectious disease. What we can learn from public health is how to turn their lessons inside out. We need to create positive epidemics (pg 29). The key to spreading the flu, for example, is contact. Here’s the focus: the flu carriers make contact with healthy people. Then they people begin to incubate the flu. Later on, they can become infectors, as